1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of cell phone protector cases and in particular, cell phone protector cases which are designed to facilitate utilization of the cell phone while at the same time providing a protective covering to the cell phone so that the cell phone is not damaged if it is inadvertently bumped or dropped.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are numerous designs for various cell phone protector cases that are known in the prior art. The following 12 patents and published patent applications are the closest relevant prior art:    1. U.S. Pat. No. 7,230,823 issued to Curtis R. Richardson et al. on Jun. 12, 2007 for “Protective Membrane For Touch Screen Device” (hereafter the “'823 Richardson Patent”);    2. U.S. Design Pat. No. D606,305 issued to Edmund S. Lee et al. on Dec. 22, 2009 for “Mobile Media Device Enclosure” (hereafter the “Lee Design Patent”);    3. U.S. Design Pat. No. D610,807 issued to Steven Chi Vun Bau on Mar. 2, 2010 for “Protective Case For Portable Handheld Electronic Device” (hereafter the “Bau Design Patent”);    4. United States Published Patent Application No. 2010/0096284 to Steven Chi Vun Bau on Apr. 22, 2010 for “Protective Case Having A Hybrid Structure For Portable Handheld Electronic Devices” (hereafter the “Bau Published Patent Application”);    5. United States Published Patent Application No. 2010/0104814 to Curtis R. Richardson et al. on Apr. 29, 2010 for “Protective Cushion Cover For An Electronic Device” (hereafter the “Richardson Published Patent Application”);    6. United States Published Patent Application No. 2010/0203931 to Bryan Lee Hynecek et al. on Aug. 12, 2010 for “One Piece Co-Formed Exterior Hard Shell Case With An Elastomeric Liner For Mobile Electric Devices” (hereafter the “Hynecek Published Patent Application”);    7. U.S. Pat. No. 7,933,122 issued to Curtis R. Richardson et al. on Apr. 26, 2011 for “Protective Enclosure For A Computer” (hereafter the “'122 Richardson Patent”);    8. U.S. Design Pat. No. D646,673 issued to Andy Fathollahi on Oct. 11, 2011 for “Case” (hereafter the “Fathollahi Design Patent”);    9. United States Published Patent Application No. 2012/0071217 to Han Jong Park on Mar. 22, 2012 for “Protector for Smartphone” (hereafter the “Park Published Patent Application”);    10. U.S. Pat. No. 8,204,561 issued to Ryan Hill Mongan et al. on Jun. 19, 2012 for “One Piece Co-Formed Exterior Hard Shell Case With An Elastomeric Liner For Mobile Electronic Devices” (hereafter the “Mongan Patent”);    11. Chinese Patent No. CN201499752 issued to Mudan Yao on Jun. 9, 2010 for “Mobile Phone Protection Sleeve” (hereafter the “Yao Chinese Patent”);    12. Chinese Patent No. CN202261424 issued to Tian Hui Zhu on May 30, 2012 for “An Anti-Falling Anti-Slip Hand Casing” (hereafter the “Zhu Chinese Patent”).
The '823 Richardson Patent discloses a protector case having a protective membrane for touch screen device. The patent discloses:                “A protective membrane is disclosed for an electronic device that has a touch screen. The touch screen is protected with a membrane adapted to the specific contour and profile of the electronic device and allows the user to use the touch screen interface with no shortcomings. The protective case is further adapted to allow infrared and other communication signals while the device is secured inside the case. Further, electrical connections can be made through the case without affecting the protection afforded the electronic device inside.”        
The most relevant portion of the patent appears in Column 11 beginning on Line 33 wherein the patent states:                “FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment 1200 of the present invention of a protective cover for a PDA or other device. A rigid front cover 1202 and a rigid rear cover 1204 are held together with a series of latches 1206, 1208, 1210, and 1212. The protective membrane 1214 protects the touchscreen of the enclosed PDA. A folding rigid cover 1216 operates as a rigid shield to prevent the membrane 1214 from any damage. The stylus holder 1220 is formed from an overmolded flexible material in which the membrane 1214 is mounted.        
Embodiment 1200 illustrates yet another embodiment of the present invention wherein a rigid protective cover may be used to contain and protect an electronic device, but provide full usable access to a touchscreen. The protective membrane 1214 and case may be watertight in some embodiments.”
The Lee Design Patent discloses a design for a cell phone protector case which appears to have a hard outer shell and a softer inner member.
The Bau Design Patent appears to be a one-piece cell phone protector case with a shell on the back which wraps around the interior where the cell phone is retained.
The Bau Published Patent Application was published in 2010 and has since issued as a U.S. Pat. No. 8,245,842 on Aug. 21, 2012. It discloses a protective case having a hybrid structure for portable handheld electronic devices. The relevant portion as set forth in the abstract is that the protective case includes:                “a “glove” or “skin” piece of softer material that substantially covers and grips the entire back of the electronic device by wrapping over the edge of the electronic device (without obscuring the display/touch screen on the front of the device). One or more separate complementary frame pieces, braces and the like made of a hard material are attached over the glove piece, extending over a substantial area of the glove piece, thereby creating a robust interlocking hybrid structure.” The hard exterior shell is comprised of fingers extending over the back of the case.        
The Richardson Published Patent Application discloses:                “A protective cover for an electronic device that is made from an elastomeric material that simultaneously provides cushioning that would otherwise be provided by a softer, thicker material, while utilizing a single, denser material that provides a slim profile and has sufficient density to conform well to the electronic device and prevent the transmission of impacts with hard surfaces directly to the electronic device. Although a denser material is used for the protective cover, recesses are formed in thicker portions at impact points that create compressible ribs. The ribs provide softer, cushioned portions of the cover in the impact areas, which are capable of absorbing the shock and energy of impacts. Other protective covers have a uniform thickness.”        
This device has the interior soft silicone membrane with just a single backing rather than the backing on either side of the cell phone protector case.
The Hynecek Published Patent Application discloses:                “A one-piece co-formed exterior hard shell case with an elastomeric liner formed on the interior of the exterior hard shell for mobile electronic devices. This hard protective exterior shell allows the device maximum protection from impacts with sharp objects while the interior elastomeric portion that provides shock protection for the device from impacts. The exterior hard shell part is formed to fit the device closely with a small offset from the devices surface. The exterior hard shell raps around the edges of the device. To allow the shell to be able to be mounted on the device the corners of the hard shell are cut open. This allows each sidewall to flex away when a device is inserted and snap back once it is in place. The elastomeric material fills in the gaps created at the corners of the exterior hard shell to allow flex for mounting.”        
Therefore, this discloses the concept of having the soft inner membrane and the hard outer shell but again, it is only on one side of the cell phone protector case, not on both sides.
The '122 Richardson Patent discloses a cell phone protector case having a multiplicity of different layers of material.
The Fathollahi Design Patent does not discuss what the interior of the cell phone protector case is made of but in reviewing the figures, it is clear that there is an interior shell with a hard backing member but again, it is only on one side of the interior soft shell.
The Park Published Patent Application discloses:                “A protector for smartphones includes a cover located on the entire front face of a smartphone and constructed to have the same width as an LCD screen of the smartphone, the cover having through holes for exposing touch buttons and a speaker of the smartphone to the outside; and a main body made of a soft synthetic resin with flexibility, the main body having a space for accommodating the back of the smartphone, a retaining portion for fastening an outer edge of the cover located on the front face of the smartphone, and a through hole formed on a rear face thereof for exposing a camera of the smartphone to the outside.”        
The Mongan Patent has an inner elastomeric layer and the outer shell but again, it is to one side of the elastomeric layer.
The Yao Chinese Patent discloses a soft inner member surrounded by a hard backing member but only on one side.
The Zhu Chinese Patent discloses an anti-falling anti-slip hand casing. Reading from the abstract, the patent states:                “An anti-falling anti-slip hand easing, comprises a mobile phone shell, the mobile phone the surface of the shell is provided with an elastic material layer, the elastic material layer at the opening in the cell-phone shell is provided with openings; the mobile phone the back of the shell layer of resilient material is provided with a plurality of protruding point on. The utility model has the advantages of simple structure, the application of the elastic material layer and anti-falling of the anti-skid characteristics of the structure, of the existing simple improvement of the mobile phone, the utility model of the mobile phone shell is provided with anti-falling anti-skid characteristics.”        
There is a significant need for an improved cell phone protector case which has an interior protective silicone layer to protect the cell phone and grip the cell phone and a hard clam shell case to envelope both the front and back of the soft silicone case to provide added protection for the cell phone.